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Eric Minier

personmerged41 mentionsFirst seen Mar 5, 2018Last seen Feb 14, 2026

Profile

Eric Minier is a lead mechanical engineer and game designer at Jersey Jack Pinball with approximately 5-6 commercial titles to his credit. He has designed or co-designed major licensed titles including Guns N' Roses, Pirates of the Caribbean, Harry Potter, and The Godfather, and holds an oversight role similar to George Gomez at Stern, coordinating design teams, licensing, and production feasibility. He transitioned to professional 3D design (SolidWorks) during COVID and comes from a family with pinball operator background, with early experience repairing machines as a youth. His work is characterized by strong mechanical design, code quality, and thematic integration.

Aliases

No aliases

Relationships

  • works_atJersey Jack PinballLead mechanical engineer and game designer; holds oversight coordination role similar to George Gomez at Sternmedium
  • designedGuns N' RosesLead designer/co-designer of Guns N' Roses pinball; achieved critical and commercial success with 20+ songs, band call-outs, synchronized light showmedium
  • designedPirates of the CaribbeanDesigner of mechanics for Pirates of the Caribbean pinballmedium
  • designedHarry PotterCreator/designer of Harry Potter Pinball; known for strong code and theme integrationmedium
  • designed

Facts

  • achievementDesigner of Pirates of the Caribbean pinballhigh
  • achievementCreator/designer of Harry Potter pinballhigh
  • achievementLead designer/co-designer of Guns N' Roses pinballhigh
  • affiliationPart of strong Jersey Jack Pinball design teamhighfrom 2025
  • attributeHas young childrenhighfrom 2020
  • attributeFamily has operator background in pinballhigh
  • attributeSkilled tournament player in pinballmedium

Claims (21)

  • factualhigh

    Eric Minier was talking about wanting to design a Harry Potter pinball machine when Ken arrived at Jersey Jack in April 2020

    Source: Ken CromwellEP 2 - What You May Have Missed in Harry Potter Pinball
  • opinionhigh

    Harry Potter has the best shot geometry and is potentially Eric Minier's best shooting game to date

    Source: Ken CromwellEP 2 - What You May Have Missed in Harry Potter Pinball
  • opinionmedium

    Eric Minier is not traditionally known for gameplay-first design compared to other designers

    Source: KanedaEpisode 1097: "Kaneda's Harry Potter Playfield Thoughts"
  • factualhigh

    Eric Minier designed Pirates of the Caribbean pinball

Recent Mentions (0)

No mentions

Contradictions

  • Existing: Lead designer/co-designer of Guns N' Roses pinball (Ep 7)vsConflicting: Designer on Pirates of the Caribbean (Ep 2); designer of Pirates of the Caribbean and Guns N' Roses (Ep 11)
    Resolved
    accepted_new · Mar 2, 2026
  • Existing: Recently completed Godfather pinball machine (mention 15, dated 2023-05-17)vsConflicting: Earlier sources (mentions 1, 4) reference Godfather as a planned/future game after other titles, and mention 19 (dated 2023-02-28) indicates Godfather design was rumored before Harry Potter speculation
    Expert: merged definition Expert: merged definition
    Resolved
    merged · Mar 2, 2026

Related Glossary Terms

No linked glossary terms

The Godfather
Designer of The Godfather pinball machine
medium
  • affiliated_withMark SeidenRecruited Mark Seiden to Jersey Jack Pinball via Facebook and served as his point of contact during onboardingmedium
  • affiliated_withJoe KatzMentored by Joe Katz at Jersey Jack Pinballmedium
  • attributeDescribed as tireless, obsessed, and collaborative in design workhigh
  • attributeSelf-taught in SolidWorks during COVID lockdownhighfrom 2020
  • roleJJP designerhighfrom 2020
  • roleMechanical engineer and designer at Jersey Jack Pinballhighfrom 2026
  • roleLead engineer at Jersey Jack Pinballhighfrom 2020
    • Source: Genghis (We Are Pinball host)We Are Pinball #36 "Potter Pre-Game show!"
  • predictionmedium

    Jersey Jack does not plan to manufacture wide body cabinets in the future

    Source: Zach Sharp (Slam Tilt), interpreting JJP statementEpisode 236 – Media Day
  • factualhigh

    Harry Potter was designed by Eric Minier

    Source: KanedaEpisode 970: "Clash of the Pinball Titans Coming Soon!"
  • opinionmedium

    Eric Minier designed Guns N' Roses without feedback, resulting in poor flow despite good visuals

    Source: KanedaEpisode 936: "Why FOMO Marketing Has Made Pinball Worse"
  • opinionlow

    Eric Minier was not enthusiastic about designing Godfather; made it out of obligation rather than desire

    Source: KanedaEpisode 862: "Why Post Lawlor JJP is Everything Today!"
  • opinionhigh

    Eric Minier is the best designer at Jersey Jack Pinball and is highly efficient at completing games

    Source: KanedaEpisode 757: "JJP #8 (NOT 7) Coming Very Soon!"
  • factualmedium

    Eric Minier (or pinball designers generally) are frequently contacted for interviews

    Source: Sketch segment dialogueThe Super Awesome Pinball Show Holiday Special 2022
  • rumormedium

    Eric Minier designed the Godfather pinball game

    Source: Kaneda (rumor)Episode 663: "Crazy Rumors Galore"
  • predictionmedium

    Eric Minier's next game is complete and likely Godfather for 50th anniversary

    Source: Kaneda inference from JJP designer pipeline and timelineEpisode 662: "5 FOR 5!"
  • factualhigh

    Eric Minier represented JJP at three major pinball shows within 4-5 weeks (Pintastic, Pinball Expo, Midwest Gaming Classic)

    Source: Ken Cromwell, Joe KatzEp 12 - Holiday Show 2021
  • factualmedium

    Eric Minier from JJP agreed to appear on Poor Man's Pinball Podcast

    Source: DrewPINBALL EXPO AFTERMATH
  • factualhigh

    Eric Minier learned SolidWorks during COVID lockdown to improve design capabilities from 2D to 3D

    Source: Eric MinierEp 2 - Be Careful For What You Wish For
  • factualhigh

    Eric Minier has two young children at home which made remote work challenging

    Source: Eric MinierEp 2 - Be Careful For What You Wish For
  • factualhigh

    Eric Minier is the designer of Pirates for Jersey Jack Pinball

    Source: Butch PeelButch Peel Deep Dive of WIlly Wonka
  • factualhigh

    Eric Minier dropped a teaser for Matt Scott's next pinball game on Episode 10

    Source: JonEpisode 11 A quick Thank you!
  • factualhigh

    Pirates of the Caribbean playfield art is hand-painted, not clip art

    Source: Eric Minier told hosts during visitSDTM Episode 52: Pirates of the Caribbean Pinball Machine Review - Deluxe Edition Part 2
  • factualhigh

    The wide-body layout uses a standard inner loop instead of typical wide orbits, making it feel like a standard body pin

    Source: Hosts analyzing designer's intentional choiceSDTM Episode 52: Pirates of the Caribbean Pinball Machine Review - Deluxe Edition Part 2
  • factualmedium

    Frosted/matte ramps on Pirates are a prototype feature whose production status is undecided

    Source: Eric told hosts at Pinball Expo about uncertain production statusSDTM Episode 52: Pirates of the Caribbean Pinball Machine Review - Deluxe Edition Part 2